Rifle shell or grenade with percussion-fusee.



R. MAGHENBACH. RIFLE SEELL ORGBBNADB WITH PERCUSSION FUSBB. APFLIUATION FILED DEO.19, 1913.

Patented Apr. .21, 1914.

RICHARD MACHENBACH, 0F BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 THE FIRM OF i SPRENGSTO'FF A.G. CARBONIT, 0F HAMBURG, GERMANY.

Specicatioii of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2i., 31914;.

Application lled December 19, 1913. Serial No. 367,683.

To all vwhom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD MACHEN.- isAoH, a subject of the German Emperor, and resident of Berlin, Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Riiie Shell or Grenade with Percussion-Fasce, of which the following is a specification.

TheJ present invention relates to rifle-shells or grenades having a larger diameter than the rifle or other similar arm or gun firing the same. More particularly the said invention includes a locking device for the percussion` bolt, which is released by the oscillation orv movement, ofa lever or other part of the grenade when the latter is stuck on to the barrel.

In the present grenade the oscillating 'lever or movable part does not act directly on the percussion bolt or striker to hold the same, butacts iirst on a fan, which after being released does not release the percussion bolt until the projectile has movedl a certain distance on its trajectory. rThe employment of a fanfor setting grenades at tiring position is known per se, however these known fans act as independent locking means or they must be unbolted or released byv hand before firing the grenade by removing alcap or a pin. According to the present invention the fan is released by the action of attaching the grenade on the barrel of the rille or gun and the fan then releases the percussion holt automatically after the lapse of a certain space of time 'l'he present invention prevents an untimely bursting of the shell or grenade. It may happen, that in tiring grenades such as spoken of in the preamble of this description, the percussion bolt or striker rebounds or is laiuiched forward by repulsion and thereby hits with its percussion 'cap or primer against the needle, thus causing an untimely bursting. This danger is removed by introducing a screw fan between the releasing lever und the locking bolt, by which means the fusec will not be in a firin position before vthe projectile has movedj to 200 meters from the muzzle of the barrel according lo need. 'The invention therefore combines the advantages of a time-fuse with a releasing device which automatically' and positively operates independently from the .3 position of the grenade, when stuck on to the b'rrel of the gun. I

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a longitudinal section of grenade embodying one form of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a like view of another form.

The fuse consists of a shaft 5 having the known forni of tube 6, the percussion bolt 'i' carrying a percussion pellet 8 adapted to reciprocate within the t-uhe 6, the needle 9 together with the detonator 10 and safety spring 1l. catch comprising a two armed lever 17 (Fig. 2) projects into the bore l2 of the shaft 5 and is connected at its outer projecting end with a pin or spline 15 which engages a safety ring or fan 1S to prevent it from rotating. This fan is provided Within its boss with a female thread and is screwed on a corresponding male thread of the usee shaft 5 in such way that it normally holds a retaining pin 14 against the action of the spring 16 in its bore which pin holds the percussion bolt 7 in its retracted position. The spline l5 projects (similar to a shaft-key) half in a notch of the fuse shaft 5 and half in a notch' of the boss of the fan 18.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the grenade is placed on the barrel of the gun -and the outer end contacts with the lever 17, the latter is oscillated and thus withdraws the spline 15 from the notch of the fan 18, so as to allow the fan to rotate on the screw thread. After firingthe fan 18 is rotated on the threaded part of the shaft, by the action of the air, and liberates the retaining pin 14, which is thrown ont by the spring 1G. By making the thread longer or shorter, the moment, in which the fuse is set in tiring position, may take place according to need `5() to 200 meters -in front of the muzzle of the gun. The lever l'and the spline if are so dimensioned that the lever can oscillate to suoli extent that the safety ring together with the vanes can slide past the lever and may fall over the guide bar of the projectile so as not to retard the projectile in its further flight.

In the form shown in Fig. l I have substi- 100 upper end of the boss of the fan 18, So as to 105 prevent the automatic rotation of the fan. The lower end of the pin 17 projects into the bore 12 of the shaft 5, when the tongue 15 is in engagement with the boss of the fan. This pin is projectedi'forward by sliclill@ ing the grenade on the barrel ot the gun and thus the tongue 15 releases the fan 18 and may be itself thrown out by a small sp fing similar to spring 16 but not shown. After tiring the projectile tbe 'fan rotates on account of the friction of the air, and is screwed backward on the threaded 'part of the shaft 5, thus also releasing the locking pin ,1A- Wliicb is then thrown ont by the action of the. spring 16. Thus the fnsee is set at tiring position automatically at a 'variable distance.

l claim:

l. A grenade of the character described, comprising a percussion bolt, a retaining member therefor, a safety member to hold the retaining member in position, means on the safety member to rotate the latter,'d'|1r ing the flight of the projectile, to release the retaining member, and a catch to normally aesaeao lock the safety member against; rotation, said catch being antomatically opera-todito release the safety member by positioning the grenade on the gun barrel.

2. A grenade of the character described, comprising a tube, a percussion bolt movable therein, a pin to hold the bolt in a retracted position, a spring toretract the pin,'a safety ring on the tube and normally inclosing the pin, Yanes on 'the ring to rotate the latter during the flight of the grenade to move the 1 ring longitudinally of the tube, and means to normally lock the ring against rotation, said locking means being automatically,7 operable to release the ring by positioning the grenade on a gun barrel. Y

RICHARD MACHENBACI.

Witnesses: l

JOHANNES FEHRENBERG, HUBERT HAGER. 

